


Drapetomania

by TVDramaQueen



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, M/M, Post Mpreg, Postpartum Depression, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-17 14:04:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5873275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVDramaQueen/pseuds/TVDramaQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drapetomania<br/>Noun<br/>- The overwhelming urge to run away from home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

2 months after Lexi is born Connor takes her and runs away without saying a word to anyone. Everything had been completely fine, everything in his and Jack’s relationship was going smoothly, his relationship with the baby as good as any parents and the team doing amazing as always. But then one day Taylor had went out with Jordan and the Nuge for the night, Jack came home to an empty apartment, no Connor or baby in sight. The first thing he did was call Taylor, who came home immediately. They started thinking of any way possible that he just went to the store or something but when Jack went into the baby’s room and found Connor’s phone sitting on the dresser and half the baby’s stuff gone from the room. He was gone.

Coach McClenn then held a team meeting to advise everyone what was going on and to not bother Connor unless he wants to be bothered. They weren’t sure why he ran away but they knew that he wouldn’t come back if the whole team was pestering him.

Jack had to go back to Buffalo because he couldn’t abandon his team but it was hard for him to play each night. Ennis and O’Rielly tired to do their best helping him cope with his boyfriend and daughter disappearing, still not knowing if they were even dead or alive.

They found out 3 months later that Connor hadn’t went to either of his ex’s, Aaron or Dylan as Nurse contacted both of them to be safe, having a weird feeling Connor may have ran away to Florida or back to Erie to be with them again. Jack was trying his best not to be depressed but after 5 months he started to give up hope on Connor ever coming back to him, let alone his team or the NHL.

Jack started babysitting Matt’s kids even more after that, trying his best to not miss his own daughter. Then Josh started offering his son for him to baby sit as well and Lehner his baby and so Jack was running a little daycare in his spare time, helping gratefully ease his pain of missing Lexi and Connor.

1 week before Lexi’s first birthday Jack got an email from Connor. All it was was a picture of Lexi at her first birthday party eating her birthday cake. It was just her, no Connor in the photo. He couldn’t tell from the photo where he was but it felt amazing to know they were safe. He replied with a message, telling Connor to please come back, how much they all missed him and needed him, and how he wanted to see his daughter that he hasn’t seen since she was 2 months old.

Connor never replies but then there’s a message from a strange email that he discovers later is Connor’s mother, two days later. It says that Connor doesn’t wish to reply at the time but that if Jack wants to see Lexi he could make arrangements with her to see his daughter. Jack’s hurt by why Connor doesn’t want to talk to him because he then starts to think he might be the reason Connor ran away and took their baby.

He shows the emails to Taylor and Jordan, who both agree that this probably means Connor, went home to Toronto. They also all agree Jack shouldn’t go out there if Connor doesn’t want to see him. He doesn’t understand at first but after a meaningful discussion with Taylor he starts to understand where the guys are coming from. 2 weeks after the last email Talbot get’s a Facebook message from Connor asking about the team. They talk about it for about 10 minutes before Connor asks how Jack is and Cam tells him everything about how much they all need him back and begging him to come home. Connor never replies but that night Jack get’s another email with two pictures of Lexi from Connor.

2 days later Taylor’s setting up a game of NHL 16 for him and Jordan when there’s a knock at the door. He goes to answer because it’s already 10:30 so it could be important this late at night and what he sees shocks him. Connor standing there with Lexi in his arms.

Taylor lets him in and they talk for a bit before Jordan comes into the living room and starts crying he’s so happy Connor came back. Connor doesn’t say why he left but he does tell them he was in Toronto staying with his parents. It was strange for the two to see him again and especially the baby, going from 2 months old to 14 months and how much she looked like a tiny little Jack now. Eventually Connor started to yawn a little and Jordan immediately offered him the guest room (which technically was Connor’s room before he left) for him and Lexi and Connor accepted. Taylor and Jordan also decided they wouldn’t tell anyone else because they don’t want to upset Connor.

The next morning Connor decides he isn’t ready to go back to practice which both his roommates understand and promise not tell say anything to anyone Connor doesn’t want to know he is back. Connor says he’s okay with certain guys like Ference knowing since they were probably worried sick about him.

When Taylor tells Ference however he thinks they should tell Jack that he’s back because it’s his daughter and he should know. The three have a vote and when Jordan votes with Andrew they decide the will call Jack after practice. Jack’s on a plane to Pittsburgh when he gets the call from Taylor. Taylor tells him that they talked to Connor and that he should call him, even though he knows Connor may not be ready to tell Jack he’s back Taylor knows this is the only way he ever will. Jack calls Connor and he answers and they talk about the baby for a minute and then he spits out he’s back in Edmonton. Jack doesn’t know how to react but then Connor asks if he wants to see them and Jack says yes and flies out after the game against Pittsburgh that night.

They talk for a bit but Jack’s attention is more on Lexi and he offers to watch her tomorrow if Connor wants to go into the arena which he agrees to. The next day Jack comes from the hotel he was staying at over to Connors in the morning to watch Lexi until Connor is home. He and Connor talk a bit but before he asks Jack to leave he mumbles out why he had really left.


	2. 2

Connor is sitting on the couch staring at the TV while Lexi is asleep in her crib when Connor just snaps and get’s up and grabs his baby from her crib, puts her in her carrier and starts walking to the subway. He gets on that to the airport and then get’s on a plane and heads home. Connor just hadn’t felt ready to settle down and have that life yet, he felt over whelmed and the only way he knew how to sooth his ache was to leave. They arrive in Toronto and he gets a cab straight to his parent’s place and from there on he stays with them with the baby.

He finally decided to come back when he talked to Talbot and he said how miserable they all were, that the team was suffering loss after loss again and falling down in the standings, that they captains couldn’t make decisions about the team without missing Connor, that every time they played Buffalo they all wanted to cry after seeing how depressed Jack looked. After that message he shut off his computer and started packing his daughters stuff and then bought a plane ticket back to Edmonton.

After Jack knows that’s why Connor left because he was to over whelmed and needed some space and that it had nothing to do with Jack, he wanted to fix their relationship and be together again. He calls Connor that night and they talked about how Connor was just so overwhelmed with everything with the team and the baby and having to grow up so fast it took a toll on him. After they talked about it Connor had a little cry and he told Jack he still wanted them to be together too. The next day Connor takes Lexi to and at lunch he and Jack spend some time together and Connor decides he thinks he’s ready for them to be a family again.

It takes awhile but Connor starts getting used to the three of them being a family and Jack always gives him space when he needs it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys keep commenting stuff about the title I am no longer replying. Here's a link to the definition I found: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/drapetomania
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Follow on Instagram: d.oughty8  
> Twitter @santadoughty

**Author's Note:**

> There is a second chapter to this I will post tomorrow or this week! :) Hope everyone enjoyed the AS Weekend!


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